The SA Endurance National Championship is ready to light up the Aldo Scribante racetrack in Gqeberha when 30 rivals are unleashed at 16h30 for his or her four-hour race powering properly into the night time, the place dancing lights, glowing brakes and flaming exhausts are the secret.
With simply 5 factors separating the main contenders, the SAES Winter Motorsport Festival is bound to see sparks fly because the championship reaches the mid-point of the season.
What the SA Endurance National Championship can count on
Charl Arangies heads the title chase with 93 factors and groups up with Mercedes-AMG Advanced Driving teacher Clint Weston of their Pagid/Stradale Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3. Arangies has one victory and a second place to his credit score whereas their fundamental championship rivals, the skilled crew of Hein and Henk Lategan and Verissimo Tavares, will be able to pounce on any alternative of their Black Bull Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, aiming so as to add to their win final day trip at Red Star Raceway.
Three entries which will upset the German pecking order is the brand new Adjust4Sleep/Rico Barlow Racing Nova Proto NP02 of Nick Adcock, Jonathan Thomas and Dawie Joubert. Powered by a 5-litre Ford V8 and weighing about the identical as a toaster at simply 765kg, the light-weight European racer will come up in opposition to the speedy 6.2 litre Chev-engined Ginetta G57 of Craig Jarvis and saloon racing hotshot Andrew Rackstraw.
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Xolile Letlaka and Stuart White will be out of their Into Africa Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo with the intent to get their marketing campaign again on monitor. Mo Mia and Lee Thompson take up the combat of their Toys-R-Us Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, seeking to no less than match their opening spherical fourth place end.
Another rival to the prototype vehicles will come from the Harp Motorsport Pilbeam-Nissan MP84 LMP2 piloted by Francis Carruthers and Sandro Biccari.
While these high-end endurance vehicles are more likely to slug it out on the entrance of the sector they aren’t in championship competition, leaving the Porsche and Mercedes groups aiming to complete forward of one another to realize the higher hand, albeit it within the decrease total race positions.
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Fourth total and main the category D combat is Daniel Rowe. He will be joined by Graeme Nathan of their Volkswagen Motorsport Polo GTi SupaCup, which is claimed to have a number of new developments below the acquainted blue bodywork. The VW runs like clockwork, so one other prime result’s on the playing cards.
Capable of taking the combat to the manufacturing unit VW entry is the Kalex VW Polo SupaCup of Karah Hill and Jurie Swart; the 2 Polo groups had a large battle final time they have been on monitor collectively.
Four factors behind Rowe lurks the speedy Dolphin Racing Juno-Nissan SS3 of Capetonians Byron Mitchell and Peter van der Spuy, who lie second within the class A title chase and in search of a maiden podium.
Another automotive boasting immense V8 energy and a light-weight chassis is the Class B Backdraft Roadster of Mike McLaughlin/Steve Clark aiming to repeat their podium end on the earlier occasion.
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An attention-grabbing entry is that of Mozambique-based Korridas Racing pushed by Marcos Rodrigues and Bruno Campos in a extremely modified Audi RS4.
The Class E championship-within-a-championship is sort of unattainable to foretell because it sees a fleet of equivalent Lexus-powered Backdraft roadsters taking up the lone Xena Chemicals Nash-VW of Andrew Horne/Gerald Buys, who took the silverware dwelling on the final time of asking.
Crisjan and Ben Morgenrood lead the category title chase of their Ben Morgenrood Group Backdraft, however it’s tight on the prime. One level away is CJ Blackman/Jean-Paul Briner of their Tradecor Steel machine, the rookies additionally main the Index of Performance Championship.
Defending class and Index champions Harm and Barend Pretorius are going to the coast in search of one other win so as to add to their victory on the first spherical again in March. They will have their palms full with the PPLE/Adapt entry of Phillip Meyer, Mark Harvey and Dean Wolson who have been runners-up final day trip.
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Fikile Holomisa/Bapi Rubuluza are aiming to show their season round; the Team Qhubani Backdraft had a stellar season final yr however this season have failed to attain up to now. Brian Martin, the person behind the Backdraft racers groups up with Trevor Graham will be seeking to bag an enormous haul of factors after their non-finish on the final spherical.
Tony Martin, winner of the 1984 Daytona 24-Hour race groups up with Gavin Rooke in one other factory-supported Backdraft.
The one-hour sprint
A separate championship for groups working the primary hour of the Endurance race has been a walkover for hometown hero Michael Stephen who tops the chief board by eight factors because of back-to-back victories within the opening two rounds.
The Ultimate Outlaws Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo2-mounted driver is definite to begin because the favorite at dwelling, however former V8 racer Roelf du Plessis has tailored properly to his Ultimate Outlaws McLaren MP4-12C and will give the Audi a run for its cash.
Izak Spies will be seeking to hassle the scorers with a robust displaying and get factors on the board in a second Ultimate Outlaws McLaren MP4-12C. He will come below strain from Paul Hill’s Kalex Aston Martin Vantage V12, who in flip will need to fend off Marius Jackson’s MJR Motorsport Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo2.
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The Bigfoot Express Team is again to full energy and able to pack a punch because the pair of rumbling V8 Mercedes-AMG GT3s combine it with the wailing V10 and V12 equipment.
Andrew Culbert is having fun with a profitable season whereas group proprietor Sun Moodley returns after a short hiatus. The Mercs are tremendous fast across the Aldo Scribante monitor and will be watched with curiosity.
An attention-grabbing entry comes from Volkswagen Motorsport, who has recruited Reghard Roets to drive a improvement Polo SupaCup, whereas a further Polo SupaCup Polo will see the present VW Polo Cup championship chief Charl Visser make his debut within the class in one other, pointing in a route the teenager’s future motorsport path is more likely to take.
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Silvio Scribante (Cemza cement Lamborghini Huracan GT3) and brother Aldo (Scribante Concrete Lamborghini Huracan GT3) are additionally gunning for 1-Hour Dash honours and being a house monitor, will be within the thick of the motion on the sharp finish of the grid.
SA GT National Championship
Can Silvio Scribante cease the Stephen Steamroller at dwelling?
There is not any hometown benefit on the sharp finish of the SAGT Championship grid; each Michael Stephen and Silvio and Aldo Scribante hail from Gqeberha and luxuriate in help from their fan base. This evens up the taking part in subject for rounds 5 and 6 of the premier nationwide Championship and units the scene for a scintillating battle for prime honours.
It will be a no-holds-barred battle because the defending SAGT Champion Silvio Scribante makes up floor after two non-finishes in rounds one and three. The normally ultra-reliable Cemza Cement Lamborghini from Scuderia Scribante has a single victory from 4 races, whereas Stephen’s Ultimate Outlaws Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo 2 can boast of three wins, leaving the Audi pilot with a wholesome factors hole.
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Lightning quick, Stuart White will be hoping for a change in fortune aboard his Into Africa Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo after three non-finishes on account of mechanical points. The crack group has labored arduous on the automotive and given a clear run, will be within the hunt for trophies.
Second within the standings and aiming for an enormous result’s Aldo Scribante in his Scribante Concrete Lamborghini Huracan GT3 who’s second within the standings, 15 factors down on the Audi and solely three forward of the Pro-Am class chief Andrew Culbert who has loved a robust season aboard his Bigfoot Express Mercedes-AMG GT3.
Culbert will have his teammate to take care of as Sun Moodley returns in his Bigfoot Express Merc which ought to set the cat amongst the pigeons within the Pro-Am class. The Affalterbach pair will need to take care of the pair of Ultimate Outlaws McLaren MP4-12Cs pushed by the very fast Roelf du Plessis and Izak Spies, who will be including factors to the SAGT Teams Championship with Ultimate Outlaws leads by 38 factors.
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Paul Hill is making an look in his Aston Martin Vantage GT3 and may give the British supercars one thing to consider.
Support Programme
The Winter Motorsport Festival affords a full day’s racing with races for the EP Regional Saloons, WPMC GTi Challenge, Coastal Challenge saloons and two bike races in addition to Sports & GT which will race with the SAGT vehicles.
When and the way a lot?
Tickets can be found on the gate solely and price R80 for adults whereas kids below the age of 12 get in free.
Track motion begins with a warm-up session for the SA Endurance and SAGT rivals at 08:15, adopted by qualifying for all of the help courses with SAE and SAGT qualifying happening at 09:35.
The first one-hour SAGT Race, mixed with the Sports & GT subject takes place at 12:15. The second race is mixed with the SA Endurance race for the primary hour, ie: 16h30 to 17:30.
The SA Endurance 4-Hour race begins at 16h30 with a scheduled end at 20:30.
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Published by MotorPress
For extra information concerning the SA Endurance and GT Championships, comply with our motorsport web page.
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